Ned Lamont on Technology

Network neutrality necessary for uncensored Internet

Q: Your background is in telecommunications. I was wondering if you had some thoughts on so-called "network neutrality." The cable industry is pushing for an opportunity to make more of a profit off of data that is sent over their cables. Yet there is a
concern that by allowing them to tier the internet, it will decrease Americans' access to certain information.

A: It's very important that you don't allow the ISPs and the large operators out there to determine who gets access to what content.
When it comes down to net neutrality, this is a pipe and we're providing equal access to all of the content providers out there. And the last thing you want is large conglomerates picking and choosing who gets access to what. I can understand where if
there's some services that use up a lot more bandwidth than others, there's a tier or cost that's associated with that. But when it comes to what people can see, everybody has equal access to that. That would be wrong, like de facto censorship.

Focus on interconnecting transportation strategy

Rather than the pork-ridden omnibus transportation bill, which featured more than 6,000 earmarks for favored congressmen, I would work for a transportation strategy which interconnects cities and suburbs, inner cities and jobs and affordable housing,
and ports and airports. This is a pre-requisite if Connecticut and the United States are to compete and prosper in the 21st century.